Wilmington and New Hanover County leaders said Monday, Feb. 22, they would employ new efforts to get control of youth and gang violence after several high-profile killings have attracted media attention.
New Hanover County District Attorney Ben David said he would work with Wilmington’s city attorney to use civil action to help keep suspected gang members from associating together. Civil code could also help bring pressure on hotels in the Market Street corridor where criminal activity is occurring frequently, including possible forfeiture of property.
“We live in a city where children are killing children,” David said.
Wilmington Police Chief Ralph Evangelous announced that the city’s police force would step up patrols in the area between Seventh and 13th streets and Castle and Wooster streets. Other steps will include devoting more resources from the sanitation and code enforcement department to further help clean up the area, he said.
“They are not going to take these neighborhoods over,” Evangelous said of gang activity in the area.
Groups like Monthers-N-Mourning, a support group for parents that have lost a child to violence, were at the press conference where city leaders urged support from the community. Co-founder Brenda Galloway said the group would be working with students at Mosley Performance Learning Center.
“The community mindset has to change,” Galloway said. “We’re trying to wake people up. Let’s help our children.” — Terry Lane
